Safety mechanism for vehicles.



F. U. MORTON.

SAFETY MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION man MAYH. 1915.

1,189,219. Patented June 27,1916.

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a a o Q q 6 I Q v o q o' wrmzss: o lo H mvsu'ron. a I 4mm ATTORNEY THECOLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (30., WASHINGTON, D. C.

F. U. MORTON. SA E v MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES. CATIOH FILED MAYH. 1915.1,189,219.

F. U. MORTON. SAFETY MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAYH. 191s.

1 1 89,2 1 9. Patented June 27, 1916.

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WITNESS:

THE COLUMBIA PMNMRAPN co, WASHINGTON. o. c l

FRANK U. I'IIORTON, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.

Application filed May 11, 1915. Serial No. 27,308.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK U. MORTON, a citizen of the United States, andresiding in the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvementsin Safety Mechanism for Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists in a new and improved antiskid device forpower-driven and other vehicles.

The object in view is the prevention of skidding or lateral slipping ona slippery roadway or in taking curves or corners. This end is obtainedby the provision of sharpened spikes or pins, normally retracted withinthe perimetral line of the vehicle wheel but extendible, when required,to engage the roadway. Means are provided whereby the chauffeur mayextend or retract said pins at will. Means are also provided wherebysaid pins are automatically extended to engage the roadway when thefront and rear wheels of the vehicle lose their alinement, as when acorner is turned or the vehicle skids, the pins being automaticallyretracted when the vehicle straightens out again. Means are alsoprovided for throwing said automatic control means out of and intooperation, as may be desired.

Other novel features of structure and arrangement of parts will appearfrom the fol lowing description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are however merely intended toillustrate a practical embodiment of my invention and not to limit thescope of the same to the construction shown, Figure l is a plan viewshowing my invention applied to the chassis of an automobile, the pinsbeing extended; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the inner face of one of thedriving wheels, the face plate being removed to show the parts and thepins being retracted; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the lowermostpins extended; Fig. 4 is a section along the line IVIV in Fig. 2; Fig. 5is an enlarged detail of one of the pins and its mounting; Fig. 6 is anenlarged view of the operative parts shown in Fig. 1 as they are whenthe pins are retracted; Fig. 7 is a section along the line VIIVII inFig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan view of the T- shape locking plate and liftrod; Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the rock shaft showing itsconnection with the steering rod, and Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail ofthe worm drum.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings:

A is the front axle, B the front wheels, C the rear axle, D the rear ordriving wheels, and F the driving shaft of a power-vehicle.

E is the differential, the motor and speed gears being omitted for thesake of clearness.

The frame of the vehicle is indicated by the side bars 1 and the crossbars 2 and 3.

The wheels are shown fitted with pneumatic tires 4 mounted on aconventional form of rim 5, but it will be understood that my inventionmay be equally well applied to a vehicle with solid tires.

G is an annular casing secured, as by lugs 6 to the inner face of therim 5 of the driving wheels D, the outer perimeter of said casing beingof somewhat less diameter than the tread of the tire 4: when the latteris infiated. The perimeter of said casing G is preferably provided witha solid rubber tread or tire 7 so that when the pneumatic tire 4 isdeflated or punctured, the tire 7 will contact with the roadway and theveliiole may proceed on its travel and carry the oac The perimeter ofthe casing G is provided with a plurality of spaced apart radial holesor sockets 8 in which pins 9 are slidingly mounted, the outer ends ofsaid pins being sharpened or pointed, as shown. The inner ends of saidpins are bifurcated and pivoted to the slotted ends of levers 10 whoseother ends are pivoted between twin lugs 11 mounted on the casing G, Thelevers 10 are provided withtwin lugs 12 near their connections with thepins 9, between which lugs are journaled the antifriction rollers 13. Itis evident that a downward pressure on the roller 13 will cause its pin9 to be extended through the perimeter of easing G beyond the perimeterof the tire 4; to engage the road surface.

14 is a spring member interposed between the lever 10 and the perimeterof the casing G to normally retain the pin 9 in its retracted positionand to retract the same when the pressure, to be described, -is relievedfrom the roller 13.

H is a bracket which is rigidly clamped to the axle G adjacent to eachdriving wheel D. Thus said bracket is stationary and does not revolvewith the adjacent wheel. 15 and 16 are a pair of toothed intermeshingsectors journaled on spur shafts on said bracket H.

17 is a radial arm rigidly attached to the sector 15 to whose outer endis pivoted one end of a cam member I whose other end is pivoted to arigid arm 18 of the bracket II.

It is evident that when the sector 15 is rotated into the position shownin Fig. 2, the cam member I is raised and the pins 9 are retracted, butwhen the sector 15 is rotated into the position shown in Fig. 3, saidcam member is depressed, pressing down on the rollers 13 of thelowermost pins, extending the latter into engagement with the roadsurface. As the wheel turns, the pins 9, as they assume the lowermostposition, move under and are depressed by the cam member I, retractingagain as they are carried up on the other side. Thus by depressing cammember I into the position shown in Fig. 3 the pins as they descend willengage and dig into the road surface, while the elevation of said cammember, as shown in Fig. 2, will permit all of the pins to remainretracted.

19 is a radial lever rigidly secured to the sector 16.

21 is an annular closure or plate which may be removably attached to theinner face of the casing G, as by set screws 22.

The levers 19 of each power wheel are at their outer ends twisted atright angles and provided with longitudinally slotted holes 23 throughwhich loosely pass the rearwardly extending arms 2% of a substantiallyU-shape rod 25. The ends of said arms 2% are threaded to receive nuts 26and 27 are springs coiled about said arms 24: between the levers 19 andsaid nuts. By adjusting the position of the nuts 26 the tension orstrength of said springs may be adjusted or regulated, as required.

28 is a connecting rod leading from the rod 25 to the brake treadle 29,and 30 is a similar rod connecting the rod 25 to a second treadle 31, sothat when the chauffeur applies the foot brake he may also throw theantiskid pins into their extended position, or by using the treadle 31he may extend the pins without applying the foot brake. It is evidentthat the drawing forward of the rod 25 by use of one of the treadleswill rotate the sectors 15 and 16 from their position. shown in Fig. 2into the position shown in Fig. 3, thus throwing the pins into their extended or operative position. As soon as pressure is relieved from thetreadle, the

springs l twill retract the pins into their inoperative position. Othermeans for automatically restoring the pins to their re tracted positionwill be described later. By tightening the nuts 26, and thus stiffeningthe springs 27, the force exerted in depressing the cam member I may beincreased to suit the character of the vehicle and its burden. 'When oneor more of the extended pins impinges upon a stone or a surface which itcannot enter, its upward pressure against the cam member I will elevatethe latter temporarily, compressing the spring 27, thus permitting thepinv to retract and preventing bouncing.

While I have shown the cams I operatively connected with the foot braketreadle, I prefer to provide a separate treadle 31 for the antiskiddevice so that the chauffeur may operate the antiskid device withoutapplying the brakes and vice versa.

I will now proceed to describe the means provided for the automaticoperation of the antiskid mechanism whenever the steering and drivingwheels lose their alinement, as in the case of skidding, or turningcurves or corners.

32 is a connecting rod having its rear end pivotally attached to theU-shape rod 25 and which extends forwardly through the slot 33 in thecross bar 2. The forward end of rod 32 is bent at right angles to form afinger 34 which is adapted to engage a worm thread 35 of a drum Jrigidly mounted upon and rotating with the main shaft F. When the finger34; engages the thread 35 the rotation of the drum. J will draw the rodforwardly and with it the rod 25. thus depressing the cam members I andextending the pins 9. The finger 341 will travel forwardly until itpasses out of the front end of the thread 35 and will be prevented fromretreat by the end of the drum, a spring shutter 35 being provided toprevent the reentrance of the finger into the thread. Thus the antiskidmechanism is held in its opera tive position.

36 is a spring having one end attached to the rod 32 and coiled aboutsaid rod, the other end of said spring bearing against the rear face ofthe cross bar 2, thus tending to throw and hold the cams I normally intheir raised or inoperative position. A second but weaker spring, 37, issecured to and coiled about the rod 32 on the other side of the bar 2and bears against said bar, thus cushioning the action of the strongerspring and preventing too abrupt action or hammering.

38 is a cross head fixed on the cross bar 3 and 39 is a collar looselymounted on the rod 40 is coiled spring interposed between said crosshead and said collar and normally holding the finger 34 out of contactwith the drum J.

41 i the connecting or reach rod of the steering apparatus connectingthe knuckles of the wheels 13.

42 is a shaft rotatably journaled loosely in a bracket 43 mounted on aportion of the vehicle frame, not shown. The forward end of shaft 42 isprovided with a. rigid depending arm 44 provided with a longitudinalslot at its outer end by means of which it is pivotally connected to anupwardly extending lug 45 on the steering rod 41. It is evident that asthe rod 41 moves longitudinally, as the steering wheels are turned ineither direction in relation to the power wheels, the shaft 42 will berocked or rotated accordingly.

46 is a double cam of arc shape rigidly mounted on shaft 42 to turntherewith adj acent to the rod 32, and when said shaft 42 is rocked ineither direction by the steering rod 41, the cam 46 will turn therewithand by engagement with the rod 32 throws the finger 34 intoengagementwith the worm thread 35 of the drum J, thus causing the antiskid pins tobe automatically set by the cam members I, as described. It is thusevident that any substantial variation of the steering wheels fromalinement with the driving wheels will cause the antiskid mechanism tobe thrown into and held in operation.

The rear end of the shaft 42 is loosely journaled in a bracket 47 whichis slidingly mounted on the cross bar 3. 48 is a strong coiled springinterposed between said bracket and the cross head 38, forcing the shaft42 toward the rod 32 so that the cam 46 will contact with the rod 32.

As it is not desirable to at all times automatically operate theantiskid mechanism when the steering and driving wheels lose theiralinement, I provide the following mechanism to throw said automaticmechanism out of operation when desired: 49 is a bell-crank-lever,having its angle pivoted to a part of the vehicle body, as at 50, andits lower end slotted to permit the extension therethrough of the rockshaft 42. The upper arm of lever 49 is pivotally connected to the lowerend of a pull rod 51 which extends up through a T-shape slot 52 in thevehicle body. The rod 51 is provided with a cross pin 53 which will passup through the head of the T-slot but not through the stem thereof. Thusby raising the rod 51 so that the pin 53 rises above the head of theslot and then moving said rod into the shank of said slot, the pin 53will lock said pull rod in its raised position. The raising of the pullrod 51 turns the bell crank lever 49 and draws the rear end of the rockshaft 42 away from the rod 32 so that the cam 46 will not contact withthe latter. Thus the rotation of the shaft 42 by. the steering apparatuswill not tend to force the finger 34 into contact with the worm thread35 of the drum J. When the pull rod 51 is unlocked from the slot 52, thespring 48 will at once throw the shaft 42 into its original or normalposition with the cam 46 in contact with the rod 32. It is thus evidentthat the automatic control of the antiskid mechanism may be thrown intoor out of operation at the will of the chauffeur.v It is thus evidentthat my antiskid mechanism may be operated automatically by the movementof the car as any lateral skidding or movement of either the front orrear wheels will cause the shaft 42 to rock and thus force the finger 34into engagement with the drum J. This automatic control may be throwninto or out of commission, as may be desirable or necessary, or theantiskid mechanism may be operated by the chaufieur as desired.

What I desire to claim is .1. A nonskid device for power-driven vehiclescomprising means carried by the vehicle adapted to be extended to engagethe road surface, mechanism operated by the power of said vehicleadapted to extend said first mentioned means, and means whereby when thefront and rear wheels of the vehicle lose their alinement said mechanismis brought into operative engagement with said first mentioned means.

2. A nonskid device for power-driven vehicles comprising means carriedby the vehicle adapted to be extended to engage the road surface, amember operated by the power mechanism of the vehicle adapted to throwsaid means into their extended position, means whereby when the frontand rear wheels of the vehicle lose their alinement said member isoperatively connected with said first mentioned means, and means wherebywhen said wheels regain their alinement said first mentioned means areautomatically retracted.

3. In combination with a vehicle wheel and its axle, a nonskid devicefor said wheel comprising radially mounted pins carried by said wheelresiliently retained in retracted position but adapted to be extended toengage the road surface, a cam member having its forward end pivotallysupported at a fixed point from and in advance of said axle, a leverhaving its inner end pivotally supported from said axle and having itsouter end pivotally connected to the rear end of said cam member, andmeans for depressing the outer end of said lever, whereby said cammember may be depressed to engage and force the lowermost of said pinsinto their extended position.

4. In combination with a vehicle Wheel and its axle, a nonskid devicefor said Wheel comprising radially mounted pins carried by said Wheelresiliently retained in retracted position but adapted to be extended toen gage the road surface, a cam member having its forward end pivotallysupported at a fixed point from the a-Xle, a toothed sector journaledfrom said axle, a second toothed sector journaled from said axle andmeshing with said first sector, pivotal connection between the other endof said cam member and said second sector, and operative means forrotating said first sector, for the purposes described.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Penna, this 3rd day of May, 1915.

FRANK U. MORTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C."

